Ethel McAuley: Behind German Lines and Three Artists (Three Women)

The University Art Gallery (UAG) at the University of Pittsburgh announces that it will devote its major exhibitions and programs to women and female-identifying artists throughout 2020. The initiative begins with the opening of two companion exhibitions Mary Ethel McAuley: Behind German Lines and Three Artists (Three Women), created in partnership with the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh (AAP).

The exhibitions will open with a reception in the gallery at the Frick Fine Arts Building in Oakland from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 13, 2020, and will remain on view through March 28, 2020. Admission and opening event are free and open to the public.

Mary Ethel McAuley: Behind German Lines highlights the work of Pittsburgh native Mary Ethel McAuley (1882-1971). McAuley was not only one of the inaugural members of the AAP, but she was also a reporter, author, illustrator, painter and teacher. McAuley’s name was regularly in newspapers and on exhibition rosters during her lifetime, yet, she has been somewhat forgotten today. This exhibition in the UAG, Mary Ethel McAuley: Behind the German Lines once again sheds light on the artist and her work.

Three Artists (Three Women) picks up on some of the themes in McAuley’s work through the lens of contemporary AAP artists: Tina Brewer, Sheila Cuellar-Shaffer and Fran Giolamas. Selected by AAP director, Madeline Gent, these artists represent several generations of AAP members, and demonstrate a diverse range of media and perspectives. Using personal and cultural symbolism to explore themes of migration, family, history, and place, the selected works create a dialogue with McAuley’s paintings.